canadian writers group
What qualifications do I need to become part of the Canadian Writers Group?
The agency will take on writers based on their recent freelance income, anticipated future freelance income, experience, quality of work, demand for their work, and, in the case of those somewhat closer to the beginning of their careers, potential. If you click on the “To Join” link, you will see a number of questions that the agency would like you to answer in this regard.
I already have a book agent. Is there going to be a conflict?
No. Most book agents actually stipulate in their contracts that they will not represent their clients when it comes to periodical work. CWG will honour all existing contracts any of its clients have with book agents. For those writers who don’t have a book agent, CWG will have an affiliation with Kuhn Projects, a full-service literary agency in New York City run by David Kuhn, a former editor at Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.
I’d like to see how the agency is received before I sign on. Will you be accepting more clients next year?
The agency is cautioning writers against adopting a wait-and-see attitude with CWG. If the critical mass required for the agency to succeed both as a business and as an advocacy tool for writers doesn’t come together this fall, it will not be launching early next year, as planned. Its existence is wholly dependent on the support of the writers it hopes to serve.
Who is going to be working at CWG?
In addition to Derek Finkle and media lawyer Iain MacKinnon, CWG will be hiring two smart, talented, hard-working agents with the appropriate experience as soon as the critical mass mentioned above comes together. There will also be support staff. The agency’s offices will be located in downtown Toronto.
Is it going to cost me anything to join the agency?
The first 75 writers to sign contracts with the agency will do so at no charge. All subsequent writers will be asked to submit a cheque for $100 with their contract, which will be rebated to them through their first $100 in agency commission fees.
I’m hesitant to join CWG because I’m worried about getting blacklisted. Do you think that will happen?
The bottom line is that Canadian freelance writers haven’t had a rate hike since Pierre Elliot Trudeau was our prime minister so there is no chance that freelance writers could be perceived as greedy (as screenwriters were sometimes portrayed during their recent strike in the United States). Fears of being blacklisted are tied directly to what one might call the Canadian Freelance Writer’s Inferiority Complex, which has been beaten into this group for decades through the devaluation of the skills being provided by the most talented freelancers. One could easily equate the idea of such blacklisting to the fear of being fired for asking for a raise – a raise that’s at least twenty-five years overdue.
What if Canadian publications band together and refuse to work with the agency?
Most publications already deal with agencies: photo representatives, illustration agencies, stylist agencies. There is no reason why print outlets would refuse to deal with a professional literary agency representing the finest freelance writers in Canada. Publishers across the country have had to deal with the rising costs of business – printing, distribution, staff, rent, gas etc – but have never paid writers more because they haven’t had to. Most editors are sympathetic. The smart ones also realize that if they want to have a healthy crop of freelance writers at their disposal – a crop that has been drying up for some time – they need to treat (and pay) them like professionals. Many editors have already said that CWG is the development they’ve been waiting for to successfully convince their publishers to increase their editorial budgets.
I’m currently making more than a dollar per word for the publications I write for. Can CWG do better than that?
Yes. It is travesty of our profession that a writer who’s won a few dozen National Magazine Awards is being offered maybe 25 cents or so more per word than a competent writer who’s just starting out. The agency plans to adjust rates so that they form a more desirable career arc. Otherwise, fewer and fewer writers are going to stay with it.
I write for magazines, newspapers, and online publications that pay well below a dollar. Will I still be able to write for these outlets if I join the agency?
Ultimately, the decision to accept any fee lies with the writer. That said, keep in mind that the agency commission will apply. If you write for a publication for less than your established rate, we recommend considering it pro bono work. Many lawyers devote a percentage of their working time to causes they believe in, and the same can hold true for professional writers. Writers should not, however, be engaging in pro bono work simply because a publication says it can’t afford to pay more. Some writers at the meetings in Toronto felt that pro bono work should be work that you’re donating to a worthy publication for free, not at a reduced fee.
Won’t publications just start using young, desperate writers if they find the fees too high for CWG writers?
There is no web site or service to help editors find the elusive “young, desperate writer.” Editors have worked with you in the past for the same reason they’ll want to work with you in the future – you’re good at what you do. They don’t want to have to go hunting for a possibly cheaper alternative when they already have you on the phone.
Here are some wise words from Canadian speechwriter Colin Moorhouse, who writes a blog called “Fearless Freelancing”:
“A secret truth here. It is much easier for writers to find good clients than it is for clients to find good freelance writers. And so in a reversal of what freelancers usually think, clients need us more than we need them.”
Keep in mind as well that CWG will be actively recruiting young talent to join the agency. And this: the best young freelancers are smart enough to understand that without the agency, there will be the same limitations on their careers as the ones that currently exist for older generations.
How will CWG promote or recommend individual writers to editors and corporate employers?
If an editor or corporate employer approaches the agency looking for a writer, they will be encouraged to utilize a very user-friendly web site, where, by next summer, the goal is to have all CWG writers featured individually. That way, clients will be able to search for an appropriate writer without the agent choosing for them at the outset.
I already have a number of well-paying corporate clients. Why would I want to give 10 percent of that income to the agency?
The general consensus from most of the corporate writers we’ve spoken to is that the time the agency will free up for them by handling negotiations, vetting agreements, and tracking invoicing is alone worth the basic 10 percent commission.
Corporate writers should also consider the way CWG will widen their bandwidth, particularly through the marketing power of its web site and the agency’s initiatives designed to promote your services to a far greater number of potential employers.
For those writers pursuing both editorial and corporate work, we anticipate the impact that the agency will have on your editorial rates will also more than justify the commissions on your corporate work.
What happens if I go from freelancing to a full-time job?
There will be a clause in the agency contract that deals with this. Writers will be given a reasonable amount of time to notify the agency that they will no longer be freelancing. Writers in this circumstance can always return to the agency at a later time.
With the approaching recession and problems in the newspaper and magazine industry, isn’t now a bad time to ask for more?
Over the last thirty years, we’ve experienced boom times, recessions, war, peace, Internet, no Internet and nothing has really changed for freelance writers in Canada. Especially given what is going on in terms of the rights currently being demanded by publishers, now seems like a pretty good time for an agency like CWG.
Will the agency negotiate my rights with foreign publications?
CWG writers will have the option of having the agency negotiate fees and rights with foreign periodicals. We anticipate that the vast majority of these requests will involve U.S. publications.
I’m a Canadian freelancer operating from abroad. Will CWG represent me?
If you’re writing consistently for Canadian outlets, yes. CWG will not help a Canadian writer in the UK, for instance, negotiate fees and rights for a South African publication.
If I’m approached to write a running column for a publication, will the agency still be involved in the negotiation of fee and rights?
Yes, though the commission will be discussed with the agent prior to negotiations. The commission will depend on the length of the agreement and other factors.
Will my agent get involved if I’m having creative differences with an editor or am unhappy with the editing process?
Yes, when it’s absolutely necessary.
Won’t it feel awkward asking a third party to step in to negotiate my story fees?
It will probably feel awkward at first. However, we suspect that everyone will adjust to the process very quickly. Agent-editor negotiations will soon become commonplace, just as they are in the book, photography, and acting spheres.
What will happen if I become a CWG writer and decide to not use the agency to negotiate fees and rights for a freelance assignment?
You will be in violation of your contract with the agency.
Will the agency handle my story expenses?
While CWG may, on occasion, negotiate project expenses upfront, it will be up to the writer to track and submit his or her expenses directly to the contractor.
Will the agency be taking on freelance editors, fact-checkers, stylists, or illustrators?
For the foreseeable future, CWG’s focus will be on representing writers only.
Will the agency represent French-language writers?
Again, not in the foreseeable future.
Will the agency negotiate fees for corporate work in addition to journalism?
Yes. Freelance corporate work will be no different than editorial assignments.